Neighborhoods

New Orleans neighborhoods are where the culture and creativity of the Crescent City come to life. From the historic French Quarter to the elegant Garden District to the music-filled Marigny- there is great food, music...more

About New Orleans

New Orleans is a magical place with a unique culture and way of life. Explore our about New Orleans pages to learn more about the city in preparation for a trip you'll never forget!...more

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Festivals

It is said that New Orleans residents should have five good costumes ready to go at any given time. Celebration is at the core of the New Orleans' experience, and to get a true taste of the city, every visitor should...more

Nightlife

New Orleans has many distinct neighborhoods that offer nightlife options from incredible live music on Frenchmen Street to intimate cocktails just a neighborhood away. Harrah's Casino caters to the high rollers at heart...more

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New Orleans Cocktails

In New Orleans, a great drink is just as important as a great meal- and great music for that matter. Check out our list of New Orleans libations and the bars, pubs and lounges where they can be enjoyed....more

Traditional New Orleans Foods

Familiarize yourself with these dishes and be well prepared to savor forkfuls of the culture, tradition and recipe perfection that have earned New Orleans its culinary legacy....more

Industrial Designers Society of America Convenes in New Orleans Sept. 14-17, 2011
500 design professionals convene in New Orleans for convention focused on community

WHAT: IDSA's 2011 International Conference "Community: You.Me.We."

WHERE: The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria® Hotel

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 14 to Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011

DETAILS: 500 members of Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) will convene in New Orleans for the International Conference titled "Community: You.Me.We." The conference will focus on how community is affecting the ever-changing world of design.

Service and awareness events are scheduled for conference attendees with local organizations Make it Right Foundation, New Orleans Musicians Clinic and New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Attendees will tour the newly-built Make it Right community, and experience first hand the work that is being done to revitalize and rebuild neighborhoods in New Orleans. Participants also will take part in a discussion to create ways to combat hearing loss in musicians, a devious problem in the music industry, at the New Orleans Musicians Clinics. In addition, members will spend an afternoon at NOCCA, New Orleans' premier creative arts school, facilitating brainstorming sessions with high school freshmen teaching critical thinking, conceptualization and creative problem solving.

Keynote speakers include New Orleans' own Andrea Chen, co-founder and executive director of Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans (SENO). Chen will speak about the evolution of social entrepreneurship in New Orleans which dramatically expanded more than six years ago, from residents painting street signs after Hurricane Katrina to the complex challenges involving governmental agencies, regulations and bureaucracy. Also, YouTube's director of user experience, Margaret Gould Stewart, will speak on the growing importance of designing computer software with an open system usability and how companies like YouTube, Twitter and Etsy are thriving as open source design has become a place to share human expression and creativity.

IDSA members work in a range of designing fields-from designing experiences, to medical equipment, to consumer products. IDSA is one of the world's oldest and largest, member-driven society for product design, industrial design, design management and other related design fields. IDSA organizes the renowned International Design Excellence Award® competition annually and produces two publications highlighting the latest headlines in the design world. IDSA's charitable arm, the Design Foundation, supports the dissemination of undergraduate scholarships annually to further industrial design education.

IDSA's largest conference set in New Orleans was in 2000 and this year's conference is set to generate $588,000 in economic impact.